Nine months pregnant and married to a fervent Chicago Bears fan with tickets to yesterday's NFC Championship Game, Colleen Pavelka didn't want to risk going into labor during the game against the New Orleans Saints.

Due to give birth today, Pavelka was told by her doctor Friday he could induce labor early. She opted for the Friday delivery.

At 10:45 p.m. Friday, Mark Patrick Pavelka was born at Palos Community Hospital after close to six hours of labor.

While her husband watched the Bears play the Saints at Soldier Field yesterday, Colleen watched in the hospital with the baby wrapped in a Bears blanket – a Christmas gift from his grandmother.

The couple named Mark after his father, who wore a â€œMonsters of the Midwayâ€ shirt during the delivery.

I'm with Ace. Having been a third (or is it fourth?)-party observer on induced labor countless times, I can tell you this is pretty minor compared to some of the requests. And, I'm guessing, the women come up with the most ridiculous reasons to be induced early.

I'm with Ace. Having been a third (or is it fourth?)-party observer on induced labor countless times, I can tell you this is pretty minor compared to some of the requests. And, I'm guessing, the women come up with the most ridiculous reasons to be induced early.

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It's pretty standard for some doctors to offer to induce before Jan. 1 so you get your little tax break in time -- assuming your are nine months along and all.

I'm with Ace. Having been a third (or is it fourth?)-party observer on induced labor countless times, I can tell you this is pretty minor compared to some of the requests. And, I'm guessing, the women come up with the most ridiculous reasons to be induced early.

Click to expand...

It's pretty standard for some doctors to offer to induce before Jan. 1 so you get your little tax break in time -- assuming your are nine months along and all.

Click to expand...

True. and since this is only a couple of days early from the actual due date, this is fairly minor. Many women, especially those having their first child, want to schedule labor a month or more early to avoid getting too big or being too uncomfortable. That stuff, compared to the NFC title game baby, is out of whack.

Heck, my last two were induced labors because my second child was a precipitous labor that lasted all of 45 minutes. We lived three blocks from the hospital and nearly had the baby at home because we almost didn't go to the hospital in time. Our doctor, who lived just two more blocks away, missed the childbirth because the call to him didn't get there in time.

My wife's office at the time was 45 minutes from the nearest L&D room and that was too risky. So, for No. 3 and No. 4, we scheduled the labor about a week before the due date.

Here's why I hated to see this story: We have two kids and my wife delivered both naturally without any drugs. It was something she believed in because it's better for the baby and, if she was willing to do that, I was all for it.

If there are complications, I can understand using drugs. But to do it in order to make sure you don't miss a stupid game? Incredible.

I believe Ann Myers (wife of the late Don Drysdale) once induced labor so that she would be able to provide color for games in the NCAA tournament.

I think it's nice they worked it out so the baby could watch the game. Got to get 'em started early. My dad still occasionally reminds me he had to miss both a Kansas football game and Octoberfest because of my birth. My Doctor didn't miss Octoberfest. I was delivered by a substitute.